Randy Boyd

Diane Black has taken a strikingly different stance on developing the Memphis Regional Megasite in Haywood County notes the Jackson Sun in a Thursday article rounding up comments from other gubernatorial candidates on the subject. Black proposes to turn the megasite into an “agricultural hub” instead of continuing the so-far-unsuccessful effort to get a big new business located there.

Black outlined her proposal in an Commercial Appeal op-ed piece back in late April, declaring the project has been “a boondoggle from the beginning” and “thoroughly mismanaged by the bureaucrats in Nashville” – including, presumably, fellow GOP gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd, who headed the Department of Economic and Community Development for a period of the megasite’s development.

While President Trump’s Nashville rally was held to support Marsha Blackburn’s run for the U.S. Senate, four Republican gubernatorial candidates were on hand as well to show support for the president and look for votes, reports WKRN TV. U.S. Rep. Diane Black got a presidential mention.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd declared that he and President Donald Trump are “a lot alike” in a new TV ad that has the tag line: “Randy Boyd: A conservative businessman, not a professional politician.”

The Boyd ads have inspired commentary by Jackson Baker on the striking contrast between what is seen on TV and what is heard from the candidate when he’s before an audience and taking questions. An excerpt:

An internal polling memo leaked by U.S. Rep. Diane Black’s campaign shows her on top of GOP primary competitor Randy Boyd by 13 points, reports the Nashville Post, close to the results of an earlier Black-commissioned poll that was labeled “bogus” by Boyd’s campaign.

In a gubernatorial candidate forum Tuesday, House Speaker Beth Harwell promised, if elected, to reject any state-funded financial incentives for businesses moving into Middle Tennessee, reports The Tennessean. Fellow Republican candidate Randy Boyd, a former ECD commissioner, rejected the idea.

On the Democratic side, House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh criticized his primary opponent, former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, on his handling of federal relief funding after a 2010 flood hit the city.

President Donald Trump’s plan to raise tariffs on foreign aluminum and steel drew concerns from most Republican candidates for governor at a forum on Thursday at Martin, according to the Associated Press. They generally indicated worry about a trade war could harming Tennessee’s farm exports, particularly soybeans.

Gibson County Mayor Tom Witherspoon, twice elected as a Democrat, is running for reelection as an independent after complaints about his public endorsement of Republican Randy Boyd in the governor’s race, reports Tennessee Star. He had initially filed a petition to run as a Democrat.

Nashville, Tenn. — Randy Boyd, Republican candidate for Governor, released a new television commercial today highlighting his conservative commitment to supporting law enforcement and cracking down on violent crime, drugs, and gangs.

In a debate Wednesday, three Republican candidates for governor said they disagreed with a House vote to cut $250,000 in funding for Memphis because of the city’s removal of Confederate monuments from former city parks. But Diane Black, Randy Boyd and Bill Lee also said they opposed the city’s action, reports the Memphis Daily News. House Speaker Beth Harwell, who missed the debate while presiding over the House in Nashville, voted for the Memphis funding cut.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page has been started on Facebook to raise funds to make up the money lost through the House vote, according to a separate News report. As of Thursday morning, $44,765 had been raised toward the $250,000 goal.